


The Odd Case of Styx & Ratchet

by Shamois



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Mystery, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 11:48:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29135049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shamois/pseuds/Shamois
Summary: The Twelfth Doctor, out on his own adventure, stumbles into a strange world that seems to be just one very strange building in a perpetually moonlit world... succumbing to his curiosity, the Doctor investigates and accidentally falls into the mystery that is Styx and Ratchet.
Kudos: 1





	The Odd Case of Styx & Ratchet

The blue box creaked in and out of existence, wheezing, while dust escaped from below out into the dark corridor, before fully materialising in front of a small mouse. It watched the box quietly, eating some discarded bread. Thumps and bumps came from inside, the mouse's ears twitching, listening. All of a sudden the doors flew open, smoke spewing from inside, causing the mouse to flee the scene with an alarmed squeak as a lanky and somewhat uncoordinated man stumbled out, coughing and spluttering.  
"I think I'm going to need a new kitchen!" He exclaimed to the empty hall. Looking around, he grabbed a dusty fire extinguisher off the wall and dove back into the smoke, the doors slamming shut behind him, and the sound echoing off the walls until the silence once again settled.  
The mouse sniffed around, poking its head from the hole it had hidden in. It could smell smoke, the smell of something burning, which meant bad news in its books, and it wanted nothing to do with it. Dashing out, it hurriedly ate up the last of its bread and ran off down the hallway just as the Doctor once again stumbled out of the TARDIS and sank to the floor.  
"Thank you friend," he said, patting the extinguisher. "But it looks like she needs to rest for a while... Now, where am I?"  
Standing up and brushing off his coat, he looked around. The corridor was long, part tiled in red, and dark, with only the Moon to light it. Licking his finger, he stuck it in the air, and hummed to himself, frowning.  
"This doesn't feel right..." he smoothed back his grey hair and straightened his jacket, stepping carefully forward. His footsteps echoed with each step. Hugging the wall quickly, he made his way to the end of the corridor and carefully poked his nose around it, sniffing the air.  
"Nothing..."  
He thrust his head out and looked along the corridor, wide eyed. It was still dark and quiet. Stepping around the corner, he quickly tiptoed to the next junction, his footsteps quieter this time, and once again hugged himself to the corner. This place was strangely unremarkable. Nothing on the walls except switches or fire extinguishers, the windows showed naught but a featureless field, and no doors. Looking left and right, the new corridor he had arrived at was much the same, except... The Doctor squinted down the right corridor, looking at the next corner. He quickly whipped out his sunglasses, hastily shoved them over his eyes, and raised his large bushy brows. There was something to this place after all. From around the next corner, a slight glow emanated. Stuffing his glasses back in his pocket, he dashed down the hallway and skidded around the corner, ready to jump on the mystery.  
"Aha!" The Doctor cried, jumping into the middle of the corridor. His voice echoed back at him as a moth continuously threw itself at a large old oil lamp glowing above a door. It was the first door he had seen since arriving, sitting on a corner, with two new corridors leading off from it.  
The Doctor walked up to it carefully and pulled out his screwdriver. The door was plain, with a frosted window. On it the words "HR DEPARTMENT" commanded to be read in black bold letters, and a light dimly shone through the glass. He reached out his hand slowly to the handle, his screwdriver poised and ready, but it opened with a gentle twist. Tucking the sonic device away, the Doctor ducked through the door.  
"Anybody home?"  
The office was dimly lit with small oil lamps, and stacks of paper and filing cabinets lined the walls. At the far end, surrounded by yet more papers, folders, books, and everything else office related, a plump figure sat behind a well worn desk, scribbling away, perched glasses nearly falling off their nose. They did not look.  
The Doctor walked in, shut the door, and straightened himself up before grunting an "Ahem", gaining the figure's attention.  
They looked up and readjusted their glasses. Two beady eyes peered at the Doctor, and a bushy mustache wiggled below his nose in a satisfied manner.  
"Excellent, you're here. Take a seat and we'll get you ready to work in no time."  
The Doctor looked around. "Are you talking to me?" He pointed at himself, baffled.  
"There are but two people in this room, Mr Smith, and I am not inclined to talk to myself." He gestured to a chair in front of his desk.  
The Doctor, still baffled, wove his way forward in between the towers of paper. He half expected to be the one picking them up if any fell over, so it was best not to risk it. He perched himself on the chair, which was far too small, his knees dangerously close to his ears, and waited for the curious little man to do whatever it was he was going to do.  
"Right, Mr Smith. You're several days late, but we'll let that slide. The important thing is you're here, and we need to get you to work right away! I've done most of the paper work while waiting for you, so if you could just sign here, we'll get your name badge ready to go, and you'll officially be a part of the workforce."  
A piece of paper and a pen was promptly placed before the Doctor, who snatched it up and scrutinized it.  
"Is there a problem, Mr Smith?" The man twiddled his thumbs.  
"Well," The Doctor peered over the paper before placing it down carefully, "I don't know who you are, where I am, and I certainly don't recall applying for a job as a..." he dived down to the desk and scanned over the paper once again, "... Facility Custodian."  
The man sighed. "This needs to stop happening," he muttered, "My name is Mr Lewis, this is Styx & Racket Limited, and you're here to get this place back into ship shape."  
The Doctor mouthed the company names several times to himself, but recalling nothing.  
Mr Lewis got up from his desk and opened one of the filing cabinets, the rickety draw rattling loudly, and rummaged through it hastily before coming across a set of keys.  
"Now, please sign, so I can sort your name badge and give you these." The keys fell onto the desk with a heavy, but satisfying, thud and jangle. The Doctor looked at them and bit his lip. He always loved having a good set of keys. Snatching up the pen, he scribbled something that looked vaguely like John Smith, then grabbed for the keys, but Mr Lewis was quicker.  
"Now slow down, not until you get your name badge. It's company policy." He picked up the paper, rolled it up, and placed it in a tube. Behind another filing cabinet to the right of the desk was a pneumatic tube. The paper was quickly sucked up inside it and Mr Lewis dusted off his hands. "Please follow me." And began to head to the door.

The Doctor followed Mr Lewis in silence down the corridor, his long gait timed to match perfectly with three steps of the small man's. The building was a maze, and there were still few defined features, only the occasional door with vague department titles written on them and oil lamps, each with their own moth to bounce against the glass, helping break the eerie silence. After what felt like an age, but in reality was only 20 minutes, Mr Lewis stopped outside a door that looked very much like his, but with "PRINTING DEPT." written on it instead. This door, too, was unlocked. Inside, the smell of ink sat heavy in the air, the lamps coated with a fine layer of black powder, letters and stamps were scattered about the floor and on desks. Hunched over a workbench, a tall spindly figure was carefully working with a brush. Thick goggles covered their eyes, and thinning hair reached down to their shoulders.  
Mr Lewis stood silently, waiting. The Doctor, however, was more inclined to take a look around. He looked through a set of shelves, filled with boxes upon boxes of individual character stamps, everything from Earth's Latin alphabet to Vo'lachian glyph's. His angry eyebrows furrowed. This place kept raising more and more questions, and not giving him answers. Reaching out, he went to pick up one of the stamps on the shelf.  
"Don't touch."  
A sharp but quiet voice broke the persistent silence. The Doctor quickly recoiled his hand and spun around. The gangly figure now stood a full height, inspecting her work carefully in the dim light.  
"Your name badge, Mr J Smith." She held out the badge in her think outstretched hand, skeletal fingers spread wide. The Doctor gingerly approached to take it from her. It was a simple brass thing, with embossed lettering painted black.  
"Thank you Miss, er..." The Doctor looked up at her face, a thin smile spreading across her paper skin and jutting bones.  
"Gyle. And you better not be losing that now..." she chuckled under her breath.  
The Doctor promptly pinned the badge onto his jacket, patted it, and smiled shortly at the strange Miss Gyle, hastily moving back towards the door. Mr Lewis nodded at her, and followed the Doctor out.

Shutting the door, Mr Lewis pulled out the keys.  
"Welcome to Styx & Racket, Mr Smith."  
The Doctor grabbed the keys and grinned, spinning the ring on his finger, before skillfully depositing the jangling mess into a pocket. He felt very comfortable when put in charge of large amounts of keys.  
"Now, if you head down the south corridor, you'll reach the blue zone. The break room and your office can be found in there, I have left your list of custodial duties on the desk. If you need me, you know where my office is. Now, I bid you goodnight."  
The Doctor spun around, looking about. There were three corridors, but no signs to indicate which way was south, and the moonlight certainly didn't help as he wasn't entirely sure which planet he was on.  
"Which way is south?" He asked, but received no answer. Mr Lewis had disappeared with little trace. Behind, the door creaked open.  
"It's the one on your left," whispered a small voice, giggling. The Doctor turned around to see Miss Gyle peeking through a crack in the door, her glasses glinting in the lamp light, her grin displaying yellowed and crooked teeth. "If you ask nicely, I'll give you a compass." She giggled once more, her voice bouncing off the walls and down the hallways. The Doctor backed away slightly.  
"Thank you, but I think I'll manage," and with that he dashed down the left corridor, the heavy keys jangling in his pocket, the quiet laughter of Miss Gyle following him. Once the voice had disappeared, he returned to a more casual pace, breathing a sigh of relief. This place unnerved him, but at the same time excited him. A mystery was to be unraveled here, as nothing seemed quite right. Further ahead, the corridor appeared to change. The moonlight was much more blue, and the oil lamps glowed the kind of green you would expect to see underwater. The Doctor stepped over the threshold from the red tiles to blue, and instantly felt a rush of cold envelop his body, his breath condensing in the air.  
"Maybe that daft scarf wasn't a bad idea after all," he mused to himself, watching his breath linger in the air, followed by a nervous giggle. "Never mind, it's time to get stuck in."  
He jogged through the corridors, turning every which way he could, looking for doors. Soon enough, he found one. "FACILITY CUSTODIAN" it read in the now familiar bold black lettering on frosted glass. Wriggling his fingers in anticipation, the Doctor reached to open the door, but all he could do was rattle the handle. Instinctively he reached for his sonic screwdriver, then paused, and moved his hand to his right pocket. He pulled out the large ring of keys and set to work finding the one to open the door. Each key had a symbol on it, and looking closely at the lock, the Doctor found a corresponding symbol. Choosing a large brass key, he pushed it in and with a click, the door opened.  
Inside, it was sparse. A desk with a chair, a simple locker, one lone green oil lamp on a bench, and a to-do list on the desk. Picking up the lamp, the Doctor went straight to the list. It read:  
"Phase 1: Ring the Bell.  
Phase 2: Sweep the floors.  
Phase 3: Check on Mr Alister.  
Phase 4: Open the break room door.  
Phase 5: Lock the break room door.  
Phase 6: Put Miss Gile back in her room.  
Phase 7: Clean the windows.  
Phase 8: Check the fire escape is locked.  
Repeat."  
The Doctor frowned. Frowning would probably be a regular occurrence in this place, he thought. And what did it mean by 'Phase'? Looking around, there were no clocks. There were no calendars, nothing to keep an eye on the passage of time. His watch was useless, as it was still on Earth time. With a heavy sigh, he slumped into the desk chair, which creaked and groaned before settling down. With a thud, the Doctor put his feet up on the desk, then leaned back, the chair protesting. Just as this place was getting interesting, it felt boring again. There was nothing but cryptic clues, and he had no one to discuss them with. He watched the dust in the moonlight, tracing the little patterns with his eyes.  
"Wait a second..." the Doctor jumped up, and darted to the other side of the room, staring up at the high window above the desk. "The Moon! That's it! That's the phases! Now we can really get to work!" He spun around excitedly, but there was, of course, no one to express his excitement toward. Looking back at the Moon, he watched it. The face was slowly going dark, with barely a sliver of light left.  
"Phase 1, ring the bell," the Doctor whispered, a smile spreading across his face. But now he needed a bell. The walls were sparse, so he threw open the locker. Inside, he found a broom, and a large hand bell. Firmly gripping it, he carefully picked it up and opened the door into the hallway. Taking a deep breath, he rang the bell. A deep but clear note rang out, spreading swiftly down the corridor, filling the entire building before fading away. The Doctor waited. A quiet sound, some kind of shuffling, could be heard from the dark. Then some heavy footsteps. The sounds built up, until the corridors were alive with the sound of movement, but no one could be seen. The Doctor put the bell down and picked up his broom. The Moon was no longer dark. Phase 2 was to begin.  
"Mr Broom, let's go exploring," and the Doctor began sweeping the floor, as per the list.

He wound through the corridors, chasing any sound he could, hoping to encounter someone, or something. But everything seemed just out of his reach. At least the floors were looking less dusty now.  
Slumping down, and feeling the lost, the Doctor looked at the Moon. It was at a new phase, half-moon. Phase 3. Check Mr Alister. This had to be a person. The Doctor jumped back up, and looked around. He wasn't sure where he was. He had left the blue zone a while ago, and appeared to be in a purple zone. Sticking his head round a corner, by chance, or by fate, there was a door with the words "MR ALISTER" printed on them.  
"I do believe this place wanted me to be here," the Doctor said to himself, approaching the door. He pulled out his keys and set to work finding the correct one. With a low clunk of a heavy iron key, he carefully opened the door.  
"Hello? Mr Alister?"  
The room was dark save for a single purple lamp on the floor. It was hard to make out any shapes.  
"I'm Mr Smith, the new facility custodian. I'm supposed to check on you."  
A grunt came from the back.  
"Is everything okay, Mr Alister?" The Doctor tightened his grip on the broom.  
The shuffling clank of chains stirred, then, with a roar, something darted forward into the light, saliva spitting everywhere, gurgling noises coming from a mouth filled with mismatched teeth, and clawed hands attempted to reach out, only to be held back by the chains. The Doctor quickly backed out of the room and slammed the door shut, locking it as fast as he could. The grotesque snarling penetrated the walls, and disrupted the echoing sound of movement that filled the building. The Doctor caught his breath and decided to leave the purple zone quickly. He had decided that Mr Alister was fine, and would rather not check on him again. Checking the Moon, it was moving into Phase 4. Time to open the break room. Maybe this time, he would meet someone he could have a conversation with. Rather than trying to think about it, the Doctor thought it best just to wander through the building. After being brought to Mr Alister's door at just the right time, he had a feeling the building would bring him to where he needed to be.  
"Lo and behold, we're back at the blue zone. Come broom, to the break room!" With a smile and a jog, he made his way, the building bringing him to precisely the door he wanted. The break room door was a double door with frosted glass and, of course, the words "BREAK ROOM" in bold black print. The Doctor opened it, and found inside a large canteen, with uniform tables, and a tray of food at each seat. Sitting down, he took a look. Bread. Cheese. A pear. Some vague pudding cup filled with white goo. It didn't look appetising. In fact, it all appeared rather stale. The Doctor decided to pass on food, and waited. Foot steps and shuffling drew nearer. He fixed his eyes on the doorway. A foot stepped around the corner, followed by a large lumbering body. It was wearing a heavy cloak, and thick hair covered its face. It was hunched over. Behind it, another figure appeared. This time thin, small, and wiry, wearing a ragged suit, face almost entirely covered by a pair of glasses. More people began to come in, and take their seats. People of all shapes and sizes, equally haggard looking. The Doctor's table filled up. Next to him sat a woman. Her hair appeared to once have been a very neat retro perm, but it was now home to a form of nest. Her face was gaunt, but the cheeks were rouged, contrasting greatly with the dullness of her dress, a drab beige polka-dot thing that did not seem to fit correctly.  
"Hello there! Good day so far?" The Doctor asked, his cheery demeanor a stark contrast to his current company. The woman silently ate her meal. "I'm Mr Smith, the new facility custodian, and you are?" She continued to ignore him. The Doctor carefully leaned over. She had a name badge.  
"Miss... Bailey! Pleasure to make your acquaintance," He held out his hand to her. She stopped eating and stared at his hand.  
"N-" She began. She froze. "Not supposed to..." She tried to push his hand away. Her skin was cold, and she was shaking.  
"Not supposed to what?" The Doctor's brow furrowed.  
"No. Nothing." Miss Bailey pushed her tray away and hastily got up to leave the room. The Doctor followed. She trotted out the room in her high heels, and disappeared round the corner, but it didn't take long to catch up to her.  
"Miss Bailey," the Doctor called. She froze. "What is it that you're not supposed to do?"  
She turned around, her eyes were wide with fright, pale and almost devoid of life except for the spark of fear.  
"I need to get back to work now. I need to get back to..." She looked around, checking to see if anyone else was nearby, "I need to get back to accounts, in the green zone." And with that, she hurried off into the dark. The Doctor did not follow. She was so scared. No one should have to feel like that. Something was very very wrong indeed.  
"This mystery just got more serious, Mr Broom."

Back in the break room, the chairs scraped simultaneously and the crowd began to exit. The Moon phase was now 5. Time to lock up. As he did so, he turned around to see a familiar grin.  
"Phase 6," she giggled, and ran off into the darkness.  
The Doctor heaved a sigh, and gave chase. He followed her laughter, which rang through the halls.  
"Isn't this fun, Mr Smith?" She laughed.  
"I suppose it is, I do like a good jog under the moonlight!"  
"Then let's make it harder..." her voice changed, deeper and more sinister, the Doctor stopped abruptly. In front of him, a large something had fallen over, blocking the way. It's breathing was heavy, almost as if it was... snoring?  
"Oh hell..." He walked up to what he guessed to be it's face. "Hello? Wakey wakey! You're blocking the path, you pudding head! Get up and back to, whatever it is you do."  
It grunted and rolled over. The Doctor dug through his pockets.  
"Aha!"  
From inside his coat, he drew out a recorder.  
"Now, can I remember how to play this thing..." He placed it up to his lips and blew.  
A harsh sound screeched from the poor little plastic instrument as it did its very best. The large something in front of the Doctor stirred once more and grumbled. It heaved it's body up to sit against the wall.  
"Bad sound!" It cried, clutching its ears, whining, and moaning.  
"Sorry about that, I'm out of practice by a few hundred years. But thank you for moving!" The Doctor ran past the recorders' victim apologetically, who continued to clutch their head in pain. Ahead, the cackle of Miss Gyle rang through the corridor. The Doctor picked up his pace, stuffing the recorder back into its pocket, and clutching the broom tightly.  
Rounding a corner sharply, the Doctor noticed a sudden change. Gone was the watery atmosphere of the blue zone, instead the eerie air of purple permeated the surroundings. Only one thought flashed into mind: Mr Alister. The Doctor didn't want to encounter him again. He shuddered, then the laughter that taunted him cut through his train of thought.  
"Alright, Miss Gyle! That's enough! I don't think we should be messing around these parts," he called out.  
A cackle replied. "But my friends are here. I do so wish to see them!"  
The Doctor dashed down the corridor, the sounds of Miss Gyles skittering footsteps closer now. Skidding into a new hallway, the Doctor finally came across her. She was dashing towards a door.  
"Don't you dare!" He shouted. But Miss Gyle was already there, hand ready to open it.  
She turned to face him, grin wider than ever. "How would you like to meet my friend, Mr Alister?"  
"I've already met him thank you," the Doctor began to back away.  
"Oh goody! Then let's have a friendly game of chase!" With a laugh and a click, the door opened, much to the Doctor's shock. Taking the trusty broom in both hands, he sprinted forward in desperation to slam the door shut. Miss Gyle jumped out the way as the Doctor collided with the door and desperately fumbled for the keys to lock Mr Alister away. She pouted.  
"You're no fun."  
"When it comes to things that seem to want to eat me, I'd rather it not be fun," the Doctor scrambled off the floor and straightened himself out. "Now, back to your room! Or am I going to have to escort you?" He tapped his foot and scowled at her, using all the power his eyebrows could muster to get the point across. Reluctantly, she began to plod away, no longer cackling, her thin figure hunkered over in disappointment. Satisfied, the Doctor looked out the window. The Moon was now moving to phase 7, which meant cleaning the windows. The Doctor swiped his finger across a pane, leaving a streak and his finger covered in dust.  
"Back to the office then," he muttered.

The Doctor wandered the hallways, whistling to himself, cleaning the windows as he went, careful not to encounter anyone. When he felt that all was clear, he dashed off and hoped to get where he wanted to.  
"Green, green, green," he muttered, sprinting through the hallways. This place was getting frustrating and monotonous. The only clue he had was Miss Bailey in accounts. Her fear spoke to him, and he just knew he needed to learn more. Maybe then, he could solve the puzzle and forget about this place. He knew at any moment he could just find the TARDIS and leave, but then he'd never know what this place was and why it was here. And he knew that would niggle at the back of his mind like a clock ticking off time. He glanced at the Moon. It's phase wasn't changing. He had time. His footsteps echoed through, joining the muddle of other sounds that persisted through the building. Instinctively turning left and right, he wound through the corridors until, finally, he stopped.  
"Green!" He breathed with relief. Here, the lamplight glowed a sickly colour, uninviting, but he knew he needed to cross the threshold. Catching his breath, he quickly pushed off into a run, and kept his eyes peeled wide for the correct door. The place was partly predictable, and soon enough there was a door with "ACCOUNTS" written on in bold black letters. Reaching for the handle, he was interrupted by steps from around a corner. He recoiled away and held his window cloth and cleaning spray threateningly. Slowly, a small round figure appeared.  
"What are you doing, Mr Smith?" Mr Lewis squinted through his glasses at the Doctor, adjusting them on his nose.  
"Oh! Erm..." he quickly put down his cleaning supplies, "I was just about to clean the window of this door here, when you, er, made me jump..." the Doctor grinned sheepishly.  
"Hmph... Carry on then... just don't let them out, they have work to do," Mr Lewis fixed his small eyes on the Doctor then walked away. The Doctor waited for the slow steps to disappear before quickly opening the door and ducking inside. He was greeted to a dark room, filled high with filing cabinets, a worn sofa in the corner, and a desk at the far end with a woman typing furiously on a typewriter. She was thin, with once permed hair, and a beige polka-dot dress.  
"Miss Bailey!" The Doctor smiled.  
She looked up from her desk, jumping slightly.  
"M-Mr Smith, keep your voice down!" She stood up and trotted over to him, hushing as she went. "Shut the door!"  
The Doctor quietly closed the door, and followed Miss Bailey, who had perched herself on the sofa, pouring water for the two of them.  
"I've checked the room," she said, nervously sipping. "No one should be able to hear us."  
"Why? What's going on?" The Doctor frowned. Miss Bailey appeared more stressed than nervous this time.  
"We've been waiting for a new Custodian for sometime. The last one disappeared. I was just expecting the same old dead eyed victim, following orders as they do. But you!" She looked deep into his eyes, "You're so different. You scare me, but you feel necessary."  
"Okay... that's fine... but what is this place?" The Doctor fixed his stern gaze on her eyes. They were pale, lacking most signs of life, and they concerned him deeply.  
Miss Bailey took another sip and breathed slowly. "Styx and Racket is a company designed to keep people in place. When we come here, we aren't allowed to leave. And we never came here by choice. None of us remember what happened before, and most of us want to leave, but we don't know how. And if we do try to leave or don't follow orders, then..." she swallowed heavily. The Doctor leaned in. "Then, we get sent to Mr Alister..." her voice became a horse whisper.  
"Ah... Mr Alister... I have made his acquaintance," the Doctor leaned back. Miss Bailey's eyes widened.  
"You saw him?!"  
"Oh yes, he tried to eat me. Then Miss Gyle tried to set him on me. I don't care much for either of them."  
Miss Bailey spat. "Miss Gyle. Awful creature. She's always running around getting away with things and trying to lure people into Mr Alister. What Mr Lewis see's in her, I don't know, but he's always letting her do what she wants."  
"Yes, she is quite different from everyone else... best to avoid her I think..." the Doctor thought for a while, rubbing his chin. "Is there a way out?"  
"Yes... but we can't get to it."  
"Why not?"  
"If we wander that way, then they take us away..." Miss Bailey's breathing began to quicken. "I saw them once, taking away someone. You can't see their faces. I don't even know if they have faces. They're people, I think..."  
"We'll come to that when we get there... but where is the exit?"  
"Don't you know? It's on your list."  
The Doctor smacked his forehead. "Of course! How could I be so blind! What's the Moon?"  
The Moon was changing. Phase 8 was upon them.  
"Miss Bailey, we need to leave, now!" And the Doctor swiftly pulled her up and out the door.  
"Mr Smith! What are you doing?" Miss Bailey freed herself from the Doctor's hand and ran alongside him, her heels clacking loudly on the floor.  
"We're leaving!" The Doctor grinned.  
"But they'll catch us!"  
"They've never met me! If we can leave through the fire escape, then that may mean everyone can leave this awful place."  
They ran through the green zone, the moonlight and insipid lamps leading the way. Soon, they encountered the red zone, the home of Miss Gyle and Mr Lewis. Miss Bailey stopped.  
"No, we can't," she stuttered.  
"Oh come now, Miss Bailey. You'll never get anywhere with that attitude!" And the Doctor jogged on. Miss Bailey danced on the spot for a moment, before hurriedly catching up to him. There was no going back now she had entered this zone, the place where employees where not allowed. Only Mr Lewis and Miss Gyle went here. Either she left this place or got taken away by the faceless ones so she might as well press on. The Doctor and Miss Bailey wound their way through the red tiled halls, the Moon phase holding steady. A curious matter that piqued the Doctors interest, but it wouldn't take him long to figure it out. As they dashed down the corridor, the Doctor skidded to a halt.  
"There you are!" He stood in front of the familiar blue box.  
"What is that?" Miss Bailey asked, looking at it carefully.  
"This is the TARDIS. It's how I got here in the first place," the Doctor opened the door and hopped inside. Miss Bailey poked her head in the door and quickly backed out again, inspecting the blue box with wonder.  
"Impossible," she whispered.  
"Not really," called the Doctor, "I could get into it, but I don't really think you'd be able to understand, now take this." From the door, the Doctor handed Miss Bailey a broom. "We could, in theory, use the TARDIS to get out of this place, but I don't think that would be very fun. Nor would it let me find out what's beyond the door. So, Miss Bailey, let's go find the door, and let no faceless someone stop us!"  
Miss Bailey stood dumbstruck, holding the broom. "How is a broom going to help?"  
"Brooms are very useful. Never underestimate a broom," And with that, the Doctor winked, locked the door, and led the way, holding a broom of his own. Miss Bailey wasn't entirely sure why she seemed to trust this man, but now she knew how different he was compared to the rest. Maybe he symbolised the hope everyone had lost so long ago. Clutching her broom, she grew determined as she ran as fast as she could in her impractical heels. A warmth grew inside her, as she watched the tall man lead the way, a warmth she had not felt for an age, like an oil lamp in her belly. For the first time since being here, she let her lips form into a small smile.  
Running through the red hallway, the Doctor once again came to a halt, where...  
"Hello Mr Smith," said a familiar. Mr Lewis stood in the middle of the corridor, two strange figures stood either side of him. Behind, the red tiles were now black.  
"Mr Lewis! Lovely evening isn't it?" The Doctor smiled. "I've recruited some assistance! There's a lot of windows here, and I'd hate for it to take all night."  
Mr Lewis smirked. "You're a funny one. But I cannot let you have an assistant of any kind. Now kindly please take Miss Bailey back to her room."  
Miss Bailey hid herself behind the Doctor.  
"I don't think that's very fair, nothing on my schedule says to take her back, nor does it say I can't have assistance!"  
"Read the fine print on your contract, Mr Smith," Mr Lewis threw a large heap of paper on the floor.  
"Now that's just littering, Mr Lewis," tutted the Doctor. "I thought you would know better."  
With one clean sweep of his broom, the Doctor sent the pile of paper flying up at Mr Lewis, and he grabbed Miss Bailey's hand, dashing past, while the trio were distracted.  
"Mr Smith! I can't keep up!" She cried, tottering behind in her heels.  
"Take off those silly shoes and catch up!" The Doctor turned around to see the faceless figures pursuing them. He doubled back and stood behind Miss Bailey, broom at the ready while she threw off her shoes as fast as she could. "Quickly!" The figures moved swiftly. As soon as the second shoe was on the floor, the Doctor pushed her forward, and overtook her, leading the way once again. This zone was covered in soot black tiles, and no lamps were to be seen. They had only the moonlight to guide them, and the phases were finishing. A new Moon would not provide much light to guide them by. Behind, the faceless figures followed, no footsteps coming from their feet, only the sound of labored breathing, despite no signs of them giving up the chase.

The darkness and twisting corridors were disorientating, frustrating the Doctor and confusing Miss Bailey. His brow furrowed, but he knew they could not stop running. He felt like the building knew where they wanted to go, but was keeping them away. He had to break the cycle and find that exit. Miss Bailey was beginning to lag behind.  
"Keep up, or they'll catch you!" The Doctor called to her, but she had stopped and lent towards a wall. Much to her surprise, she fell into the wall, and landed with a thud onto her site, the broom clattering down and skidding into a new hallway. The Doctor grinned.  
"Oh this is a tricksy place, but you can't keep me back! Come on Miss Bailey, we've found the way!"  
Helping her up and grabbing her broom, the Doctor gleefully darted down this new path. It never occurred to him to check the walls. With a place as strange as this, he should not be surprised at this occurrence. It explained why he could hear footsteps, but rarely see anyone. They were hidden! And most likely the fire escape was too. The new corridors seemed much darker. No windows to let in the moonlight, so the Doctor soon slowed when the light from the entrance could go no further. Fumbling through his pockets, while juggling the brooms, he failed to find what he was looking for.  
"Miss Bailey, you don't happen to have a torch on you?"  
"I don't even have pockets," came the reply.  
"Looks like we're feeling our way through," he held out the spare broom into the darkness, "Take your broom back, you might well need it."  
Miss Bailey felt for the broom, but not before nearly poking the Doctor's eye out, then placed her hand on the wall.  
"Make sure you stay quiet, and follow my footsteps," the Doctor set off, sticking to the left hand rule so commonly used in mazes back on Earth.  
Miss Bailey felt well and truly beyond her comfort zone. All she was use to was the grisly green of her office, and the unearthly blue of the break room. This creeping black was worse than anything she had seen, mostly because she could not see. The wall beneath her hand was smooth. Nothing interrupted it, and the floor was constant. Now and again, a corner made her jump, being unable to expect the sudden change. She clutched her broom, wishing for this to be over.  
The Doctor kept moving, ignoring Miss Bailey's occasional yelps of surprise. Sooner or later, that exit would appear. He was not leaving until he found it. Squinting, he noticed something up ahead. A vague outline of a straight edge. He picked up his pace, and peered around. At the end of the corridor was a glowing green sign with the word "EXIT".  
"We've found it, Miss Bailey!" But as soon as he said that, a figure walked across the hall. "Well, almost... we've got one more obstacle to deal with."  
Miss Bailey peeked her nose around and gasped. "We can't deal with that! We're stuck!"  
"Nonsense. We may not have paper this time, but we each have a broom!" The Doctor stepped around the corner. "Hey pudding head!"  
The figure stopped, and almost as quick as a flash, darted for the Doctor.  
"Broom at the ready, Miss Bailey!" The Doctor held his out front, as if to joust like a medieval knight. Miss Bailey panicked. As the figure raced forward, she closed her eyes and thrust the broom out. She held on as tight as she could as she felt a force throw itself into her makeshift weapon, the weight travelling through and up her arms, causing her to nearly lose balance.  
"Hah! Excellent work, Miss Bailey!" The Doctor grinned down at the floor where the figure had fallen. It wheezed and rolled over, appearing somewhat concussed, despite the lack of features on it. Taking her broom, the Doctor tugged Miss Bailey forward, towards the exit. Dropping his own trusty broom, he went for the door. It was locked, like his to-do list had said. From his pocket, he pulled out his set of keys, and held it to the dim light, attempting to find the right one. Once found, he carefully put it in the lock.  
"Wait!" Called a voice.  
The Doctor spun around. Lit by a dim lamp stood Mr Lewis, behind him Miss Gyle.  
"You don't know what you're doing," he said sternly.  
"Oh I think I do. I'm going to open this door!" replied the Doctor, matter-of-factly.  
With a click, he turned the key. Miss Gyle let out a sharp hiss and darted forward. Miss Bailey was ready this time. She held her broom firmly and thrust it out in front of Miss Gyle, who flew over the broom and slid into the doors bursting them open.  
"Excellent!" Cried the Doctor, running outside.  
Mr Lewis sank to the floor, defeated. "There's a reason we keep the door locked..."  
Outside, the Doctor knelt down and sniffed the ground, then listened to it.  
"Grass, definitely grass, but it seems wrong." Looking around, all he could see was grass and darkness to the horizon. "No, there must be more..."  
Miss Bailey stepped out timidly. "There's just grass, Mr Smith."  
"We keep it locked, because there IS nothing," Mr Lewis stepped through the door. "We have no hope, and we can't risk making it worse."  
"Then what is this place? Why are you all here?!" The Doctor demanded.  
"Styx and Racket is the place people go when there is no place to go," sighed Mr Lewis.  
"Like, some kind of purgatory?" the Doctor queried.  
"You could say that, but no one here is dead. They just exist." Mr Lewis walked over the help up Miss Gyle. "Those who have been here long enough either become numb to it, or become a twisted shell of who they were." He looked at Miss Gyle sadly, who whimpered as she rubbed her jaw.  
The Doctor clenched his fists. He looked at these people, sad and lost. This could not be the end of the road for these people. He looked up. The Moon was now dark, renewing the phases. Now he was outside, he noticed something. The Moon never moved. Why didn't move? This wasn't right.  
"No, no, none of you need to stay here. There IS a way out," grabbing his broom tightening the grip on it, he ran forward. He ran and ran until, with a hollow thud, he hit straight into a wall and fell backwards, knocking himself out. Miss Bailey gasped as she saw him hit the ground, and ran forwards. She wasn't sure what to do. Leaving the Doctor to come to on his own, she reached out. It was cold, but solid, like glass. She knocked on it, and it sounded like glass. Picking up her broom, she swung it at the surface, her arm ricocheting back as she hit it as hard as she could, the invisible wall letting out a loud low ring. She did it again, shouting out in anger. The ringing rang through the Doctor's head, rousing him.  
"What the hell..." he slowly heaved himself up, narrowly missing a broom flying past him. Rolling out the way, he looked to see Miss Bailey, tears streaming down her face, repeatedly hitting the invisible wall with her broom. With a mighty scream, she smashed the broom as hard as she could, the broom breaking and splinters flying everywhere. She collapsed into a heap, crying. The Doctor stood up and took a look at where she had been concentrating her hits. Touching it, there was a small crack. He grinned.  
"Miss Bailey, I think you've found your freedom. But I suggest you and the others go stand in that doorway."  
Miss Bailey looked up to see the Doctor tracing something with his hand and reaching into his pocket. Hastily, she got up and ran back to the building, where Mr Lewis and Miss Gyle were watching. She pulled them in after her and turned around to watch. The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and set the settings as high as they could go. Pulling out his glasses, he placed them on and did the same. Grinning, he switched them on. The sonic buzz grew exponentially louder, vibrating through the wall in front of him, and the crack began to split audibly. Soon, he could see it and through it light shone. Finally, with a boom and shatter, the entire sky cracked and shattered all around. Miss Bailey screamed and covered her eyes as light poured in and smothered everything. She fell unconscious onto the floor.

Miss Bailey slowly opened her eyes. The light was harsh, and she threw her hands up in front of her. Blinking, she allowed them to adjust. Above her, it was blue, a bright and beautiful blue.  
"Good to see you're awake. Everyone else is already enjoying their freedom."  
Miss Bailey sat up. Around her were rolling green hills covered in grass, and the Doctor stood looking out at the scene.  
"Where are we?" She gaped at her surroundings.  
"Welcome to the world you were kept from, Miss Bailey. According to the TARDIS, the year is 3127, the planet is called Triptoa, and over a century ago they had a population crisis."  
Miss Bailey stood up. The view was amazing, and so wild. In the distance she could see mountains, with forests crawling up their slopes. In the air, she heard birds singing.  
"This is amazing..." she was near lost for words.  
"It is, but it didn't used to be. This planet was crowded, and to deal with it, they locked people up, hidden away in a strange virtual facility in order to save space. You were sent to do your jobs, as you always do, but soon the world collapsed, mostly due to poor decision making. People like yourselves are a necessary part of a functioning society, even if the work can be done by a computer." The Doctor smiled. "Now, I better be off."  
"Wait," Miss Bailey called after him as he turned towards the TARDIS, which was standing on the lush grass behind them. "Where will I go?"  
The Doctor sighed, "Just go down the hill, you'll find the others. They're already trying to make a home out of some ruins they found. You'll be fine." And he turned back to open the door.  
"Thank you," Miss Bailey said.  
"It's honestly no problem, all in a hard night's work," the Doctor winked and disappeared inside the TARDIS. Miss Bailey watched with awe as the blue box faded away, then turned to run down the hill, enjoying her new found freedom.


End file.
